Cota was born in Ensenada, Baja California, but attended school and lived above the border in San Diego. He’d previously lost The Anchor Cafe in a 1927 fire. The bar was first opened as The Aloha Cafe during Prohibition 1928 by Fernando ‘Frank’ Blanco Cota. (1928-2011) The Aloha Cafe, Tijuana’s first pre-tiki bar, was sporadically located on Avenida Revolución (then known as Main Street by Americanos) - for over eighty years! It changed hands, was burned down and rebuilt several times, but stood the test of time until a fire in 2011 finally shut down the place. San Diego may not be the birthplace of tiki, but with its transient wartime Navy population and proximity to Tijuana, it became an incubator for the mid-century Polynesian craze… How many of these classic San Diego tiki joints do you know? Most are now just memories, but establishments with checkmarks ( ✔) are currently in business. Hawaiian, South Seas, Polynesian, Tahitian and tropics-themed restaurants and tiki bars from the San Diego area’s past and present. A Checklist of Classic San Diego Tiki Restaurants and Bars
